Gaillardia plant named ‘Dogailspincopsun’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Gaillardia plant named ‘Dogailspincopsun’, characterized by its compact and mounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and bushy habit; strong leaves that resist yellowing; early and freely flowering habit; single inflorescences with red and yellow bi-colored ray florets; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Gaillardia aristata.

Cultivar denomination: ‘DOGAILSPINCOPSUN’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gaillardia plant, botanically known as Gaillardia aristata and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Dogailspincopsun’.

The new Gaillardia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Gaillardia plants with numerous attractive inflorescences and healthy leaves.

The new Gaillardia plant originated from an open-pollination in July, 2014 of a proprietary selection of Gaillardia aristata identified as code number GA13-000001-001, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Gaillardia aristata as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gaillardia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands in July, 2015.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gaillardia plant by vegetative terminal cuttings in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands, since August, 2015 has shown that the unique features of this new Gaillardia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gaillardia have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Dogailspincopsun’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Dogailspincopsun’ as a new and distinct Gaillardia plant:

-   -   1. Compact and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and bushy habit.     -   3. Strong leaves that resist yellowing.     -   4. Early and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Single inflorescences with red and yellow bi-colored ray         florets.     -   6. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Gaillardia differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gaillardia are more compact, denser and         stronger than plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Gaillardia have stronger and healthier         leaves than plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Gaillardia can be compared to plants of Gaillardia x grandiflora ‘Sunset Cutie’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,970. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Gaillardia differ from plants of ‘Sunset Cutie’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gaillardia are more compact than and not as         vigorous as plants of ‘Sunset Cutie’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gaillardia are stronger than plants of         ‘Sunset Cutie’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gaillardia have stronger and healthier         leaves than plants of ‘Sunset Cutie’.     -   4. Plants of the new Gaillardia have smaller inflorescences than         plants of ‘Sunset Cutie’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Gaillardia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gaillardia plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Dogailspincopsun’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘Dogailspincopsun’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 13-cm containers during the summer in an outdoor nursery in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial Gaillardia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 22° C. and night temperatures averaged 17° C. Plants were pinched one time and were three months old when the photographs were taken and 19 weeks old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gaillardia aristata ‘Dogailspincopsun’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Gaillardia             aristata identified as code number GA13-000001-001, not             patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Gaillardia             aristata, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About twelve days at             temperatures about 26° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About two weeks at             temperatures about 23° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About two             weeks at temperatures about 23° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 16 days             at temperatures about 18° C.         -   Root description.—Medium in thickness, fibrous; typically             white to light brown in color, actual color of the roots is             dependent on substrate composition, water quality,             fertilizer type and formulation, substrate temperature and             physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Moderately freely branching, medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; compact and             mounded plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit;             moderate growth rate; freely branching habit with about nine             primary branches each with about three secondary branches             developing per plant; dense and bushy appearance.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 21             cm.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of floral plane.—About 23             cm.         -   Plant width.—About 30 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 19 cm. Diameter:             About 5 mm. Internode length: About 1 cm to 3 cm. Strength:             Strong. Aspect: Upright to about 30° from vertical. Texture             and luster: Pubescent; matte. Color: Close to 139D             occasionally tinged with close to 184C.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple; sessile.             Length: About 15 cm. Width: About 3.5 cm; if lobes, about             5 cm. Shape: Oblanceolate; occasionally deeply lobed. Apex:             Acute. Base: Attenuate to obtuse. Margin: Entire or deeply             lobed; ciliate. Texture and luster, upper and lower             surfaces: Pubescent; matte. Venation pattern: Pinnate.             Color: Developing leaves, upper and lower surfaces: Close to             137C. Fully developed leaves, upper surface: Close to 137C;             venation, close to 147D. Fully developed leaves, lower             surface: Close to 138A; venation, close to 147D. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Single inflorescence form with ray and disc             florets; inflorescences held mostly upright on strong             peduncles; ray and disc florets develop acropetally on a             capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant; sweet and pleasant.         -   Flowering response.—Plants begin flowering about eight weeks             after planting; plants flower naturally during June and July             in The Netherlands.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good             substance for about six weeks on the plant; inflorescences             not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit, about 42             inflorescences develop per plant during the flowering             season.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 9 cm. Disc diameter:             About 3 cm.         -   Receptacles.—Height: About 4 mm. Diameter: About 2 cm.             Color: Close to 145B.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About             1 cm. Shape: Flattened. Texture and luster: Smooth,             glabrous; moderately glossy. Color: Close to 144B to 144C.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 26 to 28             arranged in a single whorl. Length: About 3.5 cm. Width:             About 2 cm. Shape: Trumpet-shaped. Apex: Rounded, obtuse.             Base: Fused. Margin: Entire; not undulate. Aspect:             Horizontal to slightly upright. Texture and luster, upper             surface: Smooth, glabrous; matte. Texture and luster, lower             surface: Pubescent; matte. Color: When opening, upper             surface: Proximally, close to 184B; distally, close to 12A.             When opening, lower surface: Proximally, close to 46A;             distally, close to 14B. Fully opened, upper surface:             Proximally, close to 185B; distally, close to 12A; venation,             close to 185B; colors do not change with development. Fully             opened, lower surface: Proximally, close to 46A; distally,             close to 14B; venation, close to 46A; proximal color             becoming closer to 53B with development.         -   Disc florets.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 180 massed             at the center of the receptacle in about eight to nine             whorls. Length: About 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Shape:             Fused tubular. Apex: Acuminate. Texture and luster, inner             surface: Smooth, glabrous; moderately glossy. Texture and             luster, outer surface: Pubescent; moderately glossy. Color:             When opening, inner surface: Close to 185A. When opening,             outer surface: Close to 145C. Fully opened, inner surface:             Close to 185A; color does not change with development. Fully             opened, outer surface: Close to 185C; color does not change             with development.         -   Involucral bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 58             arranged in about three to four whorls. Length: About             2.5 cm. Width: About 4 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Acute.             Base: Truncate. Margin: Entire, ciliate. Texture and luster,             upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent, slightly rough; matte.             Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 137C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 22 cm. Diameter: About 3 mm to             4 mm. Strength: Strong. Texture and luster: Pubescent;             slightly glossy. Color: Close to 138C.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Quantity per floret: Five. Filament length: About             5 mm. Filament color: Close to 150D. Anther length: About             4 mm. Anther shape: Rectangular. Anther color: Close to 13B;             upper surface, darker than 187A. Pollen amount: Abundant.             Pollen color: Close to 14A. Gynoecium: Present on disc             florets only. Quantity per floret: One. Pistil length: About             1.4 cm. Stigma diameter: About 1 mm. Stigma shape:             Two-lobed, plumose. Stigma color: Close to 187B. Style             length: About 7 mm. Style color: Close to 157C. Ovary color:             Close to 149D.         -   Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit production have             not been observed on plants of the new Gaillardia. -   Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Gaillardia     have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common     to Gaillardia plants. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Gaillardia have been observed     to have good garden performance and to tolerate wind and rain and     temperatures ranging from −15° C. to 35° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Gaillardia plant named ‘Dogailspincopsun’ as illustrated and described. 